- Germany introduces the Economic Identification Number (W-IdNr) for all businesses, including non-residents
- W-IdNr aims to streamline existing identifiers like Steuernummer and VAT Number
- Part of Germany’s digital transformation to reduce bureaucratic burdens
- W-IdNr serves as a uniform economic identifier for inter-agency communication
- Assigned automatically and electronically by the Federal Central Tax Office
- W-IdNr consists of “EN” followed by a 9-digit sequence
- Steuernummer remains valid and is required for tax returns and communication with tax authorities
- VAT Identification Number (USt-IdNr) is used for cross-border EU transactions
- W-IdNr integration into electronic tax forms is ongoing, mandatory by December 31, 2026
Source: vatdesk.eu
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
